1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display input device including a display portion and having a program function. The present invention also relates to an image forming apparatus including the display input device, such as a copier, a multifunction peripheral, a printer, or a fax machine.
2. Description of Related Art
In recent years, image forming apparatuses such as a copier, a multifunction peripheral, a printer, and a FAX machine come installed with a large number of functions, and an operation procedure for setting of printing or the like tends to become complicated. Therefore, there are devices that facilitate the setting performed on the image forming apparatus. For example, there is known an invention that devises a display method performed by a display operation portion.
For example, there is known an image forming apparatus including storage means for storing image data, an image forming portion for forming an image on paper based on the image data stored in the storage means, a display operation portion for presenting information to a user and receiving an operation and an instruction input from the user, and control means for performing such control as to allow a display name of a predetermined part being displayed to be changed in display performed by the display operation portion. With this configuration, operability is to be improved by, for example, changing a button name written on a button of the display operation portion according to an operator. Note that, it cannot be identified who operates the button, which actually necessitates a configuration for identifying a user based on a user name, a password, and the like that are input in order to change the button name according to the operator.
Here, setting contents (for example, selected one or a plurality of functions and setting values therefor) of the image forming apparatus may be allowed to be registered (stored) as a program so as to be able to easily shorten a time required for the setting (which is sometimes referred to as “program function”). Then, invoking the program (setting contents) leads to a state in which the setting contents (registered contents) of the program have been set. This allows the setting of a plurality of functions to be performed simultaneously at one step of invoking the program.
In addition, one image forming apparatus is installed per department or floor and shared. Accordingly, the program may be shared by a plurality of persons. However, setting values and a program name of the registered program may contain information to be protected in view of information security such as personal information and classified information. For example, in a case of a program involved in transmission of a document read by the image forming apparatus, the program often contains a name of a transmission destination and address information thereon. This raises a problem that there may be leakage of the information to be protected in view of information security when a person who is not registered uses a shared program.
Here, the above-mentioned known image forming apparatus is to enhance the operability in that the button name is changed according to the operator. However, this is not related to the sharing of the program. Further, in the case where the information to be protected in view of information security is contained in the button name, information leakage may occur.